In China for 3 weeks!

[dewdrop_world]

Well, I had a stressful holiday season (mostly due to some emergencies and tight deadlines at work) but I get my winter vacation now! My honey and I are going to visit his family in south China for the new year's festival. It's a big family occasion -- they're terribly flattered that an American would go all that way but they might not know just how much of a part of the family I am :D His folks are very sweet and I'm really looking forward to it.

Flying out tomorrow, into the winter storm, hoping the delays at O'Hare are not as bad as they can get at that airport.

I may or may not have internet access from China -- if I do I'll post once or twice.

Have fun without me (and I'll post pix once I get back :) )

James

[Daniel]

Well, I had a stressful holiday season (mostly due to some emergencies and tight deadlines at work) but I get my winter vacation now! My honey and I are going to visit his family in south China for the new year's festival. It's a big family occasion -- they're terribly flattered that an American would go all that way but they might not know just how much of a part of the family I am :D His folks are very sweet and I'm really looking forward to it.

Flying out tomorrow, into the winter storm, hoping the delays at O'Hare are not as bad as they can get at that airport.

I may or may not have internet access from China -- if I do I'll post once or twice.

Have fun without me (and I'll post pix once I get back :) )


James

James- have a great time! Looking forward to news of your trip and newly met family. God Speed and good fortune!

[NathanATX]

Man, what a wonderful opportunity!

I'm currently writing an essay to accompany a photo spread of the Chinese New Year events in Austin. :) I'll post it when it's done.

Take lots of pictures!!! (Can you do a travel blog?) :)

[NathanATX]

“Congratulations and Be Prosperous!”

Bright hues of red adorn the clothing, shops and homes of those preparing for the Chinese New Year. Red is thought to bring good luck and to scare away the mythical dragon who lived in the mountains and terrorized ancient Chinese villages. Friends and family members were congratulated for having survived the dragon and for surviving the often brutal winter. Loud noises are thought to scare away evil spirits, so many New Year celebrations are full of explosive fireworks. This older-than-time celebration signifies the birth of a new year filled with the possibility of luck, financial success and joy.

It is also a celebration of family, respect for family elders, and remembering the dead. This is the annual time of the world’s largest human migration as millions of Chinese travel to the home of their parents to spend the holiday.

The Chinese calendar uses animals to represent each year, in twelve year cycles. This New Year is celebrating the “Year of the Boar” which represents fertility and virility. People born in the “Year of the Boar” are said to be happy and honest.

Let the magic of the Chinese New Year capture your imagination. As the fire dragon passes you in the parade, give your friends and loved ones the traditional greeting, “Congratulations and be prosperous!”

[Zerbie]

Safe journey! May you have a splendiferous time with your loved one and extended family.

:love: :) :pray:

We await a detailed update when you get back home. :love:

[BruceChris]

You are blessed, that your guy's family is accepting, and non-judgemental. But watch out for those family reunions. Having 1,387,296,398 relatives can be just too much to deal with, sometimes. :confused: :( :eek: :eek: :lol: :disagree:

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[dewdrop_world]

Hi all,

Just wanted to send some brief greetings from cloudy and wet (but warm!) Zhuhai, China. I have regular Internet access now, and I couldn't resist sharing a couple of photos.

The first is of Zhuhai's emblematic statue of a young fisher woman holding a pearl above her head (Zhuhai means, roughly, "pearl of the sea" in Chinese). Second is Jimmy and myself in front of a traditional irrigation waterwheel in a park commemorating Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, founder of the People's Republic of China and a native of Zhongshan, another city very close to Zhuhai. Third is a shot of the Zhuhai and Macau skylines from the dining room of a restaurant over looking the harbor, where we enjoyed a terrific dim sum brunch. In the foreground is Lovers' Road, a pedestrian park stretching for a couple of miles along the shore.

It isn't a very active vacation, but it's very relaxing. And the food is out of this world. The seafood is the freshest I've ever had -- I would even say that if you come to South China hating seafood, you will leave loving it.

Hope you are all well --
James

[andrewlittle]

近義詞 - (fabulous, I think) Hmmm. If this actually says something nasty, just ignore it.

Is it appropriate to ask about your reception from the family? If not, forget I asked and just keep enjoying your vacation.

[dewdrop_world]

Don't mind at all... not much to say really. The Chinese attitude toward homosexuality is very much "don't ask, don't tell" -- Jimmy's folks may or may not suspect, but for him to come out and say it would be pretty extraordinary, and would cause a lot of family strife. (Many Chinese gay men get married to please the family and then have affairs on the side. Fortunately, Jimmy is stubborn in his refusal to marry!)

Jimmy's parents spent six months with us a couple years ago and they like me a lot, which helps tremendously. The whole family has been just as hospitable, which is part of the culture -- friends, friends of friends etc. are always welcomed warmly. Whether the reception would be as warm if they knew the true nature of our relationship, I'm not sure.

His parents figured out on their US visit that we are closer than normal friends, but they will never ask him directly if he's gay. As for Jimmy, he's thought about coming out to them but at present thinks it's not worth causing his parents the heartache. (They still talk about marriage occasionally, but don't press too hard.) I respect his decision. If he were American, I would push him to come out, but we're dealing with a culture that is not my own and I don't think it's right for me to impose my own views (as if they were somehow "better" just for being Western).

In any case, apart from the of language barrier I'm being treated essentially as one of the family.

James

[andrewlittle]

That sounds like acceptance and welcome to me.

I know it may not be perfect, but what is? There are tons of people who would drool to have the kind of relationship you have with the "in-laws".

God bless, and keep having fun on your trip.